Allan's Thoughts 10/12

1. Today we celebrated the 130 kids who signed up for Chinese School with cake. However, the cake was only for those who passed out a flyer or fasted, rather than for those who only prayed.



2. I'm glad Nathan did bring up his conversation with Melvin about how he pointed out that having 113 sign up was still like God answering 90% of our prayers. As much as I understand the desire to have a fixed number set as a goal we can reach for, I think there's a danger in being fixated on numbers. I see the danger as not being satisfied with anything less than the 130. Meaning if we got 129 kids signed up, it will be viewed as "not 130" rather than "129 signing up."



3. Nathan had a message about his "get-rich slow" plan, of investing $5,000 at 5% from age 25-65. Assuming my excel spreadhseet is set-up correctly, that will leave you with approximately $640,000 at age 65. If you invest $8,000 at 5% during that time frame, you'd have over $1 million dollars at age 65.



However, getting a return of 5% on your money is incredibly difficult in today's economy. Most money market accounts or certificate of deposits only give you 2%-4%. I know Norm also had some commentary on the ability to even save $5,000 a year. Also, I'd like to point out that the stock market does not always give -40% rates of return.



4. Even though most Christians might not invest in the stock market because they view it as gambling, the financial crisis affects everyone. It's great that the church has paid of its mortgage and doesn't have any of its savings tied up in mutual funds or stocks, but we're still affected as a church. A recession means less job security, fewer raises/bonuses, and therefore less money coming in from tithes. It affects how families live, our morale, and the ability to put food on the table. The one benefit I can see from a recession/depression: possibly more people turning to God.